A San Andres resident who raped his epileptic niece three times and fathered a child with her has been sentenced to six years in prison after agreeing to pay monthly child support in a settlement reached with the victim’s family at the Regional Trial Court.

RTC Branch 43 Presiding Judge Lelu P. Contreras sentenced Ruel Arroyo Arcilla, a resident of the relocation site at barangay Belmonte, San Andres, to the light prison term, for which he could apply for probation. Aside from being ordered to comply with his commitment to acknowledge the victim’s child, he was also directed to provide a monthly support initially in the amount of P1,500.00, which will be increased as the need arises.

Court records state that Assistant Provincial Prosecutor Louie Guerrero accused Arcilla of raping Deniece (not her real name) three times in April 2016 when she was just 17.

During the first incident, Arcilla was driving a pedicab at about 7 P.M. when he went to Deniece near their house at Divino Rostro and then invited her to go with him to watch a basketball game at Wagdas. Instead of bringing her to the game, he brought her to the seashore where he told her to alight while pointing a knife at her neck and threatened her not to tell her mother or he would kill her. He dragged hr inside a cottage, removed her clothes and raped her.

A day later, he came to her and brought her again to the Wagdas seashore, with the third rape perpetrated right inside his pedicab.

She did not divulge her ordeals as she was afraid of her uncle. It was only on July 17, 2016 that the truth came to light after her mother noticed that Deniece was no longer having her monthly period and her breasts and belly started to grow big. A pregnancy test confirmed her mother’s worst fears.

A confrontation with Arcilla ensued, with the latter admitting having sexually her and asking for forgiveness that was not granted.

In finding probable cause against the respondent, Prosecutor Guerrrero said that while the victim did not exhibit a determined resistance against the attack on her honor, this should not be taken that as consent as she clearly stated that she was afraid of her uncle. She seemed to be feeble-minded, with the mother volunteering the fact that the child reached only Grade 1 because she often has epileptic seizures.